Administrative assistants work in almost every industry, from schools and construction firms to hospitals and clinics. Here is what the role involves, what Alberta employers ask for, what the job pays according to the Government of Canada’s Job Bank, and a step-by-step plan to get there.
- Education: secondary school, plus a one- or two-year college or other program for administrative assistants, or previous clerical experience (Job Bank, NOC 13110).
- Licence: none. The occupation is not regulated in Canada.
- Pay in Alberta: median $26.43 an hour, with most people earning between $19.78 and $37.00 (Job Bank, 2023–2024).
- Outlook: Moderate in Alberta for 2025–2027, with about 26,500 people in the occupation. Job Bank notes that automation of back-office work may slow growth.
- Who hires: the largest employers in Alberta are elementary and secondary schools (10%), construction (8%), hospitals (7%) and clinics (6%).
What an administrative assistant does
Administrative assistants hold a workplace’s daily routines together. They manage schedules and calendars, handle phone calls and correspondence, prepare documents and reports, keep records in order, arrange meetings and travel, and support managers and teams so the work stays on track. In a small office one person may do all of this; in a large organization the role is often more specialized.
What you need to get hired in Alberta
Job Bank lists two typical requirements for administrative assistants (NOC 13110): completion of secondary school, and either a one- or two-year college or other program for administrative assistants or previous clerical experience. There is no licence or mandatory certification. In practice that means employers hire on demonstrated skills: can you write a clear email, build a spreadsheet, manage a busy calendar and keep information confidential?
Skills employers look for
- Organization, time management and reliability
- Professional written and verbal communication
- Confident use of Word, Excel, Outlook and shared calendars
- Accuracy with records, data entry and basic bookkeeping
- Discretion with confidential information
- A calm, helpful manner with clients and colleagues
We cover these in more detail in the skills Alberta employers look for in administrative assistants.
How to become an administrative assistant: step by step
- Finish high school or an equivalent. Job Bank lists it as usually required.
- Build your office software skills. Word, Excel and Outlook are used every day. A Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certification is an optional, recognizable way to prove them.
- Get structured training or clerical experience. A college program covers business communication, document production, records and bookkeeping basics. Reception, customer service or data entry work also counts as clerical experience.
- Prepare a résumé with proof. Show concrete examples — the reports you formatted, the schedules you managed, your typing speed. Our guide to writing a cover letter in Canada can help.
- Apply across sectors. According to Job Bank, the largest employers of administrative assistants in Alberta are elementary and secondary schools (10%), construction (8%), hospitals (7%) and clinics and other ambulatory health care (6%); the rest are spread across energy, government, legal, real estate and many other fields.
- Keep growing. Take on scheduling for more people, a budget or a project, and you move toward senior roles.
Which route fits your starting point
| Where you are now | What to build | Why, per Job Bank |
|---|---|---|
| You have reception, customer service or data entry experience | Proof of that experience (reports, schedules, typing speed) and stronger Word, Excel and Outlook skills | Previous clerical experience is one of the two accepted routes |
| You are new to office work | A one- or two-year program for administrative assistants: business communication, document production, records and bookkeeping basics | A college or other program for administrative assistants is the other accepted route |
| You want a way to prove software skills | An optional Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certification in Word, Excel or Outlook | No licence or mandatory certification exists, so employers weigh demonstrated skills |
Job Bank lists secondary school plus one of the first two routes as the usual requirement for administrative assistants (NOC 13110).
Administrative assistant salary in Alberta
Job Bank reports a median wage of $26.43 an hour for administrative assistants in Alberta, with a range of $19.78 to $37.00 (reference period 2023–2024). Low is roughly the lowest-paid 10% of workers and high the top 10%. At 40 hours a week the median works out to about $55,000 a year — that is our calculation from the hourly figure. Regional figures, including Calgary and Edmonton, are in our administrative assistant salary guide.
Job outlook
Job Bank rates the employment outlook for administrative assistants in Alberta as Moderate for 2025–2027. About 26,500 people work in the occupation in the province. A few new positions are expected from growth and several from retirements, while a moderate number of experienced workers are also looking for jobs. Job Bank notes that online services, artificial intelligence and automation of back-office work may slow growth and change some tasks — strong software and coordination skills matter more than data entry alone.
Administrative assistant jobs in Alberta: the numbers
Official data about the administrative assistant occupation across Alberta, from Job Bank (Government of Canada) and the Alberta Wage and Salary Survey. It describes these jobs, not what Ucademy students will earn, and it includes the less favourable figures as well as the good ones.
Source: Job Bank (NOC 13110) · wages updated Nov 19, 2025; outlook updated Dec 10, 2025.
View the data as a table
| Area | Low | Median | High | Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta | $19.78/hr | $26.43/hr | $37.00/hr | Labour Force Survey, 2023–2024 |
| Calgary † | $19.78/hr | $26.43/hr | $37.00/hr | Labour Force Survey, 2023–2024 |
| Edmonton | $19.23/hr | $26.74/hr | $35.00/hr | Labour Force Survey, 2023–2024 |
| Red Deer † | $19.78/hr | $26.43/hr | $37.00/hr | Labour Force Survey, 2023–2024 |
| Lethbridge–Medicine Hat | $20.00/hr | $26.43/hr | $40.38/hr | Labour Force Survey, 2023–2024 |
| Athabasca–Grande Prairie ‡ | $20.00/hr | $25.27/hr | $34.00/hr | Labour Force Survey, 2023–2024 |
| Banff–Jasper ‡ | $20.00/hr | $25.27/hr | $34.00/hr | Labour Force Survey, 2023–2024 |
| Camrose–Drumheller † | $19.78/hr | $26.43/hr | $37.00/hr | Labour Force Survey, 2023–2024 |
| Wood Buffalo–Cold Lake | $21.00/hr | $30.77/hr | $45.05/hr | Labour Force Survey, 2023–2024 |
| Canada | $19.23/hr | $26.44/hr | $36.88/hr | Labour Force Survey, 2023–2024 |
Job Bank’s “low” and “high” are, in most cases, the 10th and 90th percentiles: about one worker in ten earns the low figure or less and about one in ten earns the high figure or more. Wages depend on the employer, experience and location and are not guaranteed. † means the row is identical to the Alberta row, so it adds no regional information. ‡ marks regions that show identical figures to each other, which points to a very small sample.
Source: Job Bank, wages for administrative assistants (NOC 13110) · wages updated November 19, 2025; reference period 2023–2024, estimate rows 2024.
View the data as a table
| Low | Median | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Admin assistants · start | $17.00/hr | $23.07/hr | $29.39/hr |
| Admin assistants · overall | $19.67/hr | $26.75/hr | $37.53/hr |
| Admin assistants · top | $21.00/hr | $28.04/hr | $50.00/hr |
Bars show the 5th to 95th percentile of hourly pay among surveyed employers and the dot is the median. “Start” is the pay employers offered for entry-level positions with this job title; “top” is the pay offered to top-paid employees. It is not what any program’s graduates earn. The survey covers employers believed to have 8 or more employees and excludes overtime, tips, bonuses and benefits. It is a different survey from Job Bank, so the numbers differ. Data reliability codes: Admin assistants: A (high). Average hours are 35.3 a week and the average salary as paid is $50,062 a year, so it is not the same as 40 hours × 52 weeks × an hourly wage.
Source: Alberta Wage and Salary Survey 2023 (alis) · employer survey, 2023.
View the data as a table
| administrative assistants | all occupations | |
|---|---|---|
| No high school diploma | <5% | 10% |
| High school diploma | 34% | 28% |
| Apprenticeship or trades certificate | 12% | 13% |
| College certificate or diploma | 28% | 19% |
| Bachelor’s degree | 16% | 21% |
| Above bachelor’s | <5% | 9% |
“College certificate or diploma” includes a university certificate below a bachelor’s degree. Job Bank describes what the job usually requires; individual employers decide what to ask for in each posting.
Source: Job Bank, educational attainment of Alberta workers (NOC 13110) · Alberta, outlook pages updated Dec 10, 2025.
| Role | Alberta median (low–high) | Outlook 2025–2027 | Employed in Alberta | Usual requirements |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative assistant | $26.43 ($19.78–$37.00) | Moderate | ~26,500 | Secondary school, plus a 1–2 year college program for administrative assistants or previous clerical experience |
| Administrative officer (includes office managers) | $30.77 ($21.00–$48.08) | Moderate | ~25,150 | Secondary school; a university degree or college diploma in business or public administration may be required; experience in a senior clerical or executive secretarial position is usually required |
| Executive assistant | $35.00 ($26.92–$48.08) | Moderate | ~3,900 | Secondary school; a bachelor’s degree in public administration, political science or a related discipline is usually required; experience in a related administrative occupation is usually required |
Executive assistant work usually asks for a bachelor’s degree, so the step up is not only a matter of experience.
Source: Job Bank, wages, outlooks and requirements (NOC 13110, 13100, 12100) · wages updated Nov 19, 2025; outlook updated Dec 10, 2025.
Data checked October 19, 2026: Job Bank wages updated Nov 19, 2025, outlooks Dec 10, 2025 (recent trends Jul 28, 2026); Alberta Wage and Salary Survey 2023. Occupation data, not a program outcome.
Where the career can lead
With experience, administrative assistants often move into executive assistant or office manager roles. Job Bank reports Alberta medians of $35.00 an hour for executive assistants (NOC 12100) and $30.77 for administrative officers, the group that includes office managers (NOC 13100). Read more in office manager and executive assistant careers.
How long training takes
It depends on where you start. Someone with reception or customer service experience may only need to strengthen software skills. Someone new to office work will benefit from a full program. Ucademy’s Administrative Assistant Diploma is 806 instructional hours and is self-paced, so how many months it takes depends on how many hours a week you can study.
Training at Ucademy
Ucademy’s online Administrative Assistant Diploma covers office software, business communication, records and bookkeeping basics, and includes Microsoft Office Specialist exam vouchers (Word, Excel, Outlook).
Sources
- Job Bank — Requirements: administrative assistant in Alberta (NOC 13110)
- Job Bank — Wages: administrative assistant in Alberta · job prospects
- Job Bank — executive assistant in Alberta (NOC 12100) · office manager (NOC 13100)
- alis — Wages and salaries in Alberta: administrative assistants (NOC 13110)
Wage figures are labour-market estimates for guidance only and are not a promise of earnings. Checked October 12, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does an Administrative Assistant do in Alberta?
Administrative Assistants provide organizational and clerical support to offices across virtually every industry in Alberta. Their duties typically include managing correspondence, scheduling meetings, maintaining records, coordinating travel, and supporting managers or teams with day-to-day tasks. The role requires strong communication skills, proficiency with office software, and the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
What qualifications do I need to become an Administrative Assistant?
Most employers expect candidates to have completed at least a high school diploma along with some formal training in office administration, business communications, or a related field. A diploma in Business Administration or Office Administration from a recognized institution is often preferred and can help candidates compete for better-paying positions. Proficiency in tools like Microsoft Office is consistently listed as a requirement in job postings.
How long does it take to become an Administrative Assistant in Alberta?
With a focused diploma program, individuals can prepare for an administrative assistant role in a matter of months, especially if studying full-time online. Some people also enter the field with transferable experience from other roles and supplement it with targeted courses in software or business writing. The timeline depends on your prior background and the depth of training you choose to pursue.
Are Administrative Assistant jobs in demand in Alberta?
Job Bank rates the employment outlook for administrative assistants in Alberta as Moderate for 2025 to 2027. About 26,500 people work in the occupation across schools, construction, hospitals, clinics and many other sectors. Job Bank expects a few new positions from growth and several from retirements, and notes that automation and artificial intelligence may change some tasks. Entry-level roles can be a foundation for senior administrative or office management positions.
Train for this career
Ucademy's online Administrative Assistant Diploma is designed to help you build the skills employers look for.